Valve

Clearance 13

59. Note the cable routing before removing the

retainer it sits in. Then remove the bolts securing
the cable retainer before removing the stator using
a T30 screw bit. Again, these have thread lock on
them so clean them and the hole using a tap and
die.

57. Then you need to use the rotor puller tool T3880200.
Screw the puller into the cover. Put a 32mm socket
on the puller and use the Triumph bar to hold it in
place. I again needed a breaker bar on the socket
wrench

60. Remove the 3 bolts attaching the Stator to the

crankcase using HW5CR socket, they also had
threadlock on them.

58. Once you remove the stator notice the hole for the
key on the inside, this has to line up with the key
upon reassembly. Check the key and its hole for
any sign of damage and replace if needed.
61. Lay the stator on a stand next to the engine,
mine sat neatly on the lift. You can remove it
completely if you want. Either way, dont let it
hang on the cable and inspect it for damage.
The following is an example of good and bad.
14 Thunderbird Storm



Good Bad

Remove The Camshaft Drive Tensioner

62. This is a crucial next step that needs to be
followed exactly. Turn the engine over using the
drive wheel until the holes line up in the crank
(this is why you had to remove the alternator).
The manual says 4 rotations will do it, which is
true but it is also often blocked by other things in
the engine. So you may have to do 10-12 rotations
until you see it all line up. The picture below
63. Now is a good time to take a picture of the
shows what you are looking for: a hole behind a
camshaft markings before dismantling so you
hole in a hole.
have a clear reference point for how they should
match up when back together. Notice how the
marks on the cams are slightly forward from the
cam ladder mark (silver bit). In the picture in the
Triumph manual the inlet mark is slightly forward
and the exhaust is slightly behind. It would be
nice to know what others think about where the
marks should be. I plan to put things back how I
find them, hence the pictures. Either way, make
sure the timing pin is in and take pictures of the
position of your cam marks.

Now you can stick the timing pin T3880039 in. When
I first tried it, the pin looked like it was inserted but it
wasnt all the way into the idler gear. When you line
up the holes properly you can gently encouraged the
pin in using rubber mallet. You can also check that
the pin is all the way by shining a light down into the
crankcase from the top (where the chain is) and you
should see the pin fully inserted into the idler gear.
Another reference point is that you should only have
an inch of the timing pin sticking out if it is all the
way in. I also decided to tie mine up with string using
the alternator screws because I am paranoid about it
coming out accidently. You may think this is over the
top, its up to you.
 Valve Clearance 15



somewhere.

66. There is a risk of the chain tensioner springing out

due to being under tension so wear safety goggles
just in case. I found that mine needed to be
encourage out and was done so by a long flat
head screwdriver wrapped in a cloth.

64. Remove the 3 screws covering the camshaft drive

chain top pad using 8mm socket.

67. Inspect the camshaft drive chain tensioner

inspection. Look for damage in any of the parts
and look down the hole to see any damage on the
plastic bit that pushes against the chain.

Remove The Camshafts

68. Next step is to reduce the stress on the camshaft
ladders. You do this by rotating the cams with a
20mm spanner. For me the exhaust cam was loose
enough, but the inlet cam was not. You need as
many camshaft lobes (things shaped like a eggs on
the cam shaft) as possible facing away from the
valves. You will know when they are where they
should be because they will be completely loose
and able to move by hand. This is an important
step to prevent damage to the camshaft ladder and
the associated parts when you release the camshaft
ladder. You will have to move the chain out of the
way when you move them of course. If you dont
do this there is a risk of damage to the head and
that is a very expensive replacement because it is
made as a unit.

65. Remove the fasteners holding in the camshaft

drive chain tensioner from the crankcase using
8mm socket. Do one of them at a time and replace
with a longer screw e.g. M6x60mm. That way
when the tensioner pops off it doesnt fly off
16 Thunderbird Storm



Place spanner here great. The key things to look out for are to
inspect the sprockets, bearing surfaces, chain
and flyweights/springs on the exhaust cam. The
Triumph manual does explain how to use a
Plastiguage to check the camshaft journal- but
if this is out of spec then the engine is shot. So
possibly only check this if the engine is very
old and you wonder if it is on its way out or
worth saving.

69. Undo the camshaft ladder in the following

sequence. Do it progressively- crack the bolts in
the order below, then release them a bit more and
then a bit more until it is loose. This is very
important because if it cracks you can only
replace it as part of a new cylinder head, very
expensive. Use a 8mm socket. Yes the following
picture is from the perspective when they are off
the bike, but it is not possible to take a decent
picture with the engine in the frame, so this is the
next best.

Front of Motorcycle/Engine (Exhaust Side)

6 10 2

8 4

Shim Replacement
71. I gently used a small flat screwdriver to
encourage the shim out of its holding. It sits on
7
3 top of a cylinder/bucket and it is likely that the
whole thing will slide out and then you can
remove the shim from it.
5 Shim Cylinder/Bucket
9
1

70. Once the camshaft ladder is fully released then

remove it out of the way. Also tie up the cam
chain so that it doesnt fall into the crankcase. I
imagine it would be a major pain to get out, so
best avoid the problem. With the chain tied up
remove the camshafts and inspect them for
damage. On YouTube there is a good video on
how to measure camshafts using a micrometer
and/or DTI gauge
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asHLGhH
P6ZA), but the service manual doesnt specify
what the specifications should be so if anyone
could submit them via Facebook that would be
 Valve Clearance 17



72. Identify the needed size of the new shim. First bits the camshaft sits in. The Triumph manual only
measure the thickness of the out of says place the oil/grease on the top half. So Id just
specification shim using a micrometer. Refer make sure it isnt dry on the other side. Put the
back to the measurement you made of the gap camshafts back into position. The exhaust
when the shim was in place and then replace camshaft has de-compressors at either end whereas
the shim with one that will give you the right the inlet camshaft doesnt.
gap when you put it back together. In the
associated document on the site you can write
down all the details and do the calculations to
identify the needed shim. What you need to
know for each outlet is: the current measured
gap, the current size of shim, the ideal gap you
would like (e.g. some like it in the middle,
some say they prefer it to the higher end
because they wear down, not up), the ideal
shim size needed to reach that figure and then
you can pick which shim size will best meet
your needs (the shims come in set sizes). So for
example: my gap for one inlet valve/shim was
0.063 (accuracy was limited by the feeler
gauge), the shim was 2.836, to get a desired
gap of .14 for the inlet I need 0.077 more in
shim thickness making the target shim 2.913. 75. Again turn the camshafts until the lobes are facing
However, the closest shim size for my needs is away from the valves. This is important to prevent
2.9. This may sound complicated but when you damage to the camshaft. Also, make sure the
look at the table it simplifies things. Measure chain is sitting on the two sprockets. I didnt do
the shims one at a time and placement back this first time and torqued the cam ladders down
where you found them each time so out dont but then realized I couldnt wiggle the chain into
mix them up. position on the exhaust cam sprocket and had to
remove the cam ladders again to reposition the
chain. So put the chain in place before putting the
cam ladders on.

76. Make a mixture of 50/50 clean engine oil and

molybdenum disulphide (Moly) grease. Then
lubricate the camshaft bearings with the mixture.
Then put the camshaft ladder back in place.

73. Once you have all the right details order your
shims and replace as relevant.

Reassembly
74. It wont hurt to put a little smear of oil on the
bottom half of the camshaft bearings the smooth
18 Thunderbird Storm

Front of Motorcycle/Engine (Exhaust Side)

5 1 9

3 7

77. Using some engine oil, lubricate the threads of

the camshaft ladder bolts. Again, be extra
careful not to drop any into the bowels of the
engine.
4 8

6 2
10

80. Now with the cam ladder in place and torqued, the
cams and cam chain need to be set. At this point it
can be useful to skip ahead to get the cam chain
tensioner ready to install along with the screws
because you will probably need to hold the chain in
place to stop it all springing off its sprockets. Ether
way, the steps are as follows. Look down the top of
78. Loosely (with your fingers) tighten the the engine, pull the chain up and check that the
camshaft ladder bolts until the ladder is in chain is seated onto the idler gear.
place on the camshafts. Idler Gear Chain

79. Slowly tighten the camshaft ladder bolts in the

sequence below. Using 8mm socket turn them
a turn each time in that sequence until they
reach 5Nm. Then torque again in the same
sequence until 10Nm.

81. The next step is to get the chain tight from the
idler gear to the inlet cam sprocket with it sitting
 Valve Clearance 19



in the right position. Using a 20mm spanner, before I took things apart so there was sense in
rotate the inlet cam until the timing marks are just putting things back to how I found them. As a side
to the right of the mark on the cam ladder (or note- when using the 20pin method and later you
however they were positioned before you took a have installed the tensioner and removed the
perfectly fine working engine apart). As you let go timing pin, the timing marks then line up perfectly
of the spanner on the cam it should shift back into with those on the cam ladder. Given that I, and
position and line up where it should on the cam. others, have used this method I am confident that
At this point there should be no slack on the chain the mistake or picture angle problem is with the
from the idler gear to inlet cam sprocket. You will Triumph manual. When using the 20pin method
need to hold it in place to stop the cam from the cam marking sit as below.
springing back out of time.
Inlet Cam Marking
Place spanner here 20pins

Exhaust Cam Marking

20pins
82. Once the chain is tight across the idler gear and
intake cam sprocket (with the mark on the cam
inline with the mark on the cam ladder) you then
need to set the exhaust cam position. Turn the
exhaust cam (dont need spanner as it is loose)
into position by lifting the chain slightly and
moving the cam. In the official Triumph manual
the two timing marks are both on the inside of the
cam ladder marks. Furthermore, in that picture
you can count 19 pins between the two sprocket
timing marks. This is not how mine or others have
been positioned. On mine, (and other peoples)
both marks (with the timing pin inserted) were
slightly to the left of the timing marks on the cam
ladder with 20 pins between the two marks. Im
not sure if the picture in the Triumph manual is 83. Once everything is in place check and recheck that
wrong or if my bike and others have been set there is no slack in the chain between idler gear, inlet
incorrectly. This is also the reason that you should cam sprocket and exhaust cam sprocket. As noted
take pictures of the markings before disassembly. early, I found that when I let my finger off the
I decided to set my cams in the same manner in sprocket it springs out of timing. So it may help to
which I found them, I had a working motorcycle prep the tensioner and come back to this point
 20 Thunderbird Storm



Installation of the Camshaft Drive Chain Tensioner
84. Remove the two O-rings with a small pick. Put new
O-rings (T3600196 (thick) and T3600197 (thin) on
the camshaft drive chair tensioner body. The thick
one goes on the bottom and the thinner one on the
top. Smear them with some oil before putting them
on.

87. Make sure the camshaft chain hasnt moved

out of position, if so reset the cam lobes using
the above instructions. For installing the
tensioner Make sure the arrow on the tensioner
is facing up. Be careful with it because it can
accidently go off. If it is released before
tightening up the chain would be over
tightened and could lead to damage. Hold the
sprockets and chain in place with one hand and
install the tensioner with the other. Then screw
Latch in the fasteners with your free hand until they
Spring are finger tight. But keep holding the chain and
sprockets in place.


Thin O-ring


Thick O-ring

85. If you are installing a new tensioner then leave 88. So at this point both cams are in place, the
it compressed. If you are installing the excess chain slack is on the exhaust side of the
old/original tensioner then you need to reset the engine, the tensioner is in but it is now time to
plunger by putting it in its fully compressed release the latch. I found that in this instance
position. Push the ends of the resister spring the Triumph manual sufficed but a bit more
together and push the plunger back into the detail helps. Keep your hand on the inlet
body of the tensioner. sprocket to stop the chain from springing off.
Push down in the middle of the chain between
two cams while keeping you hand on the inlet
86. Once compressed move the latch over the
cam sprocket. If you do this the exhaust cam
plunger to hold it in position.
will rotate out of place taking up the slack in
the chain at the front of the engine and push the
 Valve Clearance 21



tensioner guide out. As this moves out it they should be. It is also necessary to rotate the
slightly pushes in the plunger on the tensioner, engine several times to fully seat the shims into
the latch slips off and then the plunger pops out their buckets.
and presto- the plunger takes up the slack at the
front and the exhaust cam springs back into 92. Repeat the clearance checks on all valves and
perfect alignment. The Triumph manual just adjust as necessary. The inlet gap should be
say give the middle of the chain a whack.
between 0.10mm and 0.15mm. The exhaust
Others have found that using a long
screwdriver to push on the tensioner guide is gap should be between 0.15mm and 0.20mm.
also useful. Use what ever method you want, If any are out return to step 63.
but make sure that the plunger has been
released and the slack that was at the front of 93. Once you have identified that all valves are in
the bike has now been taken up and both cams spec, put the camshaft top pad into position and
should be in place. tighten using 8mm socket to 5Nm and then
10Nm using the following sequence.
89. Now using a 8mm socket tighten the fasteners 1 3
on the cam chain tensioner to 10Nm.

90. Once you are confident the tensioner has

released you can remove the timing pin.

2
Refit the Stator
94. Put the Stator back in place and attach the 3
bolts using HW5CR socket but dont torque
them yet. I advise cleaning the threads of the
91. Again the manual says to rotate the engine 4x screws using a tap and die set (M6, 1.0mm
until the hole lines up again. Others and myself thread) to clean off the old threadlock. This is a
that it is more like 12 or so times. Once the good practice habit.
hole appears again the markings on the
camshafts should be lined up again with the
marks on the cam ladders. If it does then the
camshafts are set but if not then you got to find
the hole again, put in the pin, remove the
tensioner, reset the cam and re-release the
tensioner and test again to see if it is in place.
Some have noted that the first time the hole
comes around the camshafts are 180degrees
out but go around again then they are where
22 Thunderbird Storm

98. Now remove one screw at a time to put

95. Check that the woodruff key is in place on the threadlock the stator screws and torque them to
crankshaft. The rotor aligns to it and has to be 12Nm using HW5CR socket.
in place. Mine had slipped loose and I found it
was impossible to keep it there later when Refit the Rotor & Alternator Cover
attempting to put the rotor on. One solution is
to place some threadlock on the bottom of it 99. The rotor will move all over the place so use the
and let it set overnight. I didnt have the puller tool (T3880200) and 36mm socket to get the
patience for that so I placed a very small cover back on smoothly. Also, be very careful not
amount of superglue into the bottom of the to put your fingers behind the back of the cover as
keyhole. The woodruff key stayed in place you put it on the crankshaft because you might get
later and I would be able to drift it out if I need them squished due to the sheer strength of the
to another time. You may not feel comfortable magnet. When you put it on make sure the
with this method. Do whatever you want, just Woodruff key is in place and lines up with the
make sure it stays in place. stator.

96. Then return the cable retainer for the stator if

you removed it. Put some silicone sealer on the
cable grommet. If you didnt remove, just skip
this step.

100. Now the rotor is in place, fit the washer and

rotor bolt. Use tool T3880096 and 10CR-V (Allen
key) socket to tighten the bolt to 165Nm. Some
people say that if you dont use this method to
tighten the rotor the torque compensator can be
damaged.

97. The fit the cable retainer bracket and tighten to

9Nm using T30 socket. Clean the threads and
put new thread locker on it.
 Valve Clearance 23



10 11

6
1

2
5

12
9
8 4

101. Return the crankshaft position sensor using

T25 screw bit and tighten to 6Nm. Also use
thread lock on the clean threads.

104. Then tighten bolts 1 and 2 again to 12Nm.

105. Top up the oil that was lost when removing the
102. Put on a new alternator gasket (T1260661). alternative cover previously. About 1L should
suffice.

103. Tighten the bolts in the alternative cover in the

Reinstall the rear brake cylinder and mounting
following sequence using 8mm socket to 12Nm.
Strangely the original manual quotes 9Nm but the 106. Reinstall the right footpeg mount using a
later manual from 2012 says 12Nm- you pick. 13mm socket to 50Nm.
24 Thunderbird Storm



Reinstall the Spark Plugs
109. The new spark plugs (NGK DPR6EA) need to
be gapped. This involves shortening or widening
the gap pointed out below.

107. Reattach rear brake guard and the brake to the

footpeg mounting using 6mm Allen key.
Technically they should be to 27Nm but they are
difficult to get a torque wrench in there. Either
way, use threadlock. If you really want to torque it
properly then you will have to remove more of the
brake components to get at it adequately.

The top tool is a feeler gauge. The tool below

is also a feeler gauge but is in a wire form and has
a spark plug gap adjuster at the other end. I prefer
to use the flat feeler gauge for measuring the gap
but it is not appropriate to use as a means of
bending the top of the spark plug to fit because you
risk damaging the ceramic top of the plug and the
bit the spark comes from.

108. Reinstall the rear brake master cylinder cover

using T5 hex screw bit and tighten sensibly.

So using the spark plug adjuster, place the arm

of the top of the spark plug into the gap in the side
of the adjuster and bend it back to widen the gap or
forward to shorten the gap. Do this very gently and
just a little bit at a time. The gap needs to be
0.9mm wide, check that the 0.8mm feeler gauge is
loose and the 1mm does not fit. If you just stick in
the 0.9mm and find it fits it might actually be too
large if you dont double check that the 1mm
doesnt fit in.

110. Once gapped, place some copper grease on the

thread of the spark plug and return it to the hole
using 18mm Spark plug socket. Tighten to 20Nm.
 Valve Clearance 25

Refit the Camshaft Cover 113. Slightly lift each end of the camshaft cover and
111. Apply silicone sealant to the 4 D-Sections of put in place the chrome camshaft cover caps.
the camshaft cover. And put it in place on the
camshaft. Do your best not to get sealant on the
engine.

114. Smear some engine oil on the 8 new camshaft

cover bolt seals (T1260309). Notice how one side is
112. Put the camshaft cover in position, careful not to rubber and the other side is metal.
move the gasket. Line up the camshaft cover to
the two dowels in the cylinder head.

115. Put the camshaft cover bolts seals in position

with the steel ring side of the seals facing upwards.
Then put in the bolts and tighten using your fingers.

116. Progressively tighten camshaft cover bolts in the

following sequence using HW6 CR socket (or